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Jessica Alba's Life-Changing Mom Moment

by Word of Mom Blogger on March 12, 2013

Word of Mom Blogger

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WhatToExpect.com supports Word of Mom as a place to share stories and highlight the many perspectives and experiences of pregnancy and parenting. However, the opinions expressed in this section are those of individual writers and do not reflect the views of Heidi Murkoff of the What to Expect brand.

When she's not fighting off villains on the big screen, Jessica Alba's playing her favorite role: super mom to her two daughters Honor, four, and Haven, 19 months. But as she's found out, being a mom is tough stuff. Alba's biggest concern is keeping her two girls healthy and safe from harmful chemicals.

Like any mom-to-be, Alba called her mom for advice during her first pregnancy, who suggested she use a certain type of detergent that was especially safe for babies. When she started breaking out and sneezing from the detergent, Alba knew something was up. But it wasn't until after she became a mom that she experienced the big "Aha!" moment that changed her outlook for good.

When her oldest daughter, Honor, suffered from diaper rash as a baby, Jessica assumed it was part of the deal. "I accepted that as being normal and then I realized 'Oh, it's because of all these toxic chemicals in diapers are wicking away your baby's natural oils and creating more bacteria,'" Alba said. "I got an allergic reaction to a detergent that my mom swore by and I was like 'Why am I sneezing? Why do I have welts on my hand? How could this be safe for my baby?'"

After realizing how difficult it was to find baby products that were safe for her children and the environment, she decided to make it happen herself. "I found out there were all these toxic chemicals, not just in baby products but in conventional products as well. So I thought if I can in any way make the environment cleaner and not have these chemicals, I'm going to do that." And that's just what she did. In 2012 Alba launched The Honest Company, a safe, eco-friendly brand offering baby products, bath and body, cleaning supplies, and other family products that are affordable and don't contain any harmful chemicals.

We caught up with the actress at the Crosby Hotel where she was celebrating the success of her new company as well as the publication of her new book, The Honest Life, which chronicles her natural, nontoxic lifestyle. In the book, she reveals her tips and tricks for making natural living simple, safe, and stylish. "It's really bringing everything down to the basics, like what your grandmother used, and then finding the higher performing, better version of that." Alba said.

While this young, stylish mama is living the honest, natural life, her routine is anything but extreme. "It's not like I'm living off the grid and my whole house is beige. I wear nail polish, cool clothes, I like color, and I'm not doing yoga all day long. But there are little changes you can make that can make a difference and have a big impact on your life."

And that's why she decided to write this book — as a source for answers that can help parents determine what's practical and what works. Her book touches upon various areas of daily living including cooking, cleaning, beauty and style tips, as well as parenting pointers. "The best thing in the world is to sleep through the night knowing that your kid is having the best shot, that's what the Honest life is about: Arming yourself with that education to make better choices for your family."